


Worked Up

by anthonyedwardstark



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arguing, Dock Worker Bucky Barnes, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Fighting, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Making Up, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 18:18:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6577360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthonyedwardstark/pseuds/anthonyedwardstark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve gets injured in a fight with a dock worker. Bucky is not pleased.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worked Up

“Jesus Christ! I gotta work with these guys, Steve! You pickin’ fights with them ‘cause they get a little handsy with some loose girls don’t make me a whole lot of friends down at the docks!”

“Why the hell would you wanna be friendly with some creep that don’t take ‘no’ for an answer?”

“Are you jokin’ with me? You really askin’ me why I don’t want you startin’ fights with the guys at the dock?”

“I guess I am, Buck!”

“Well, _gee_ , Steve, _I don’t know_. Let's think about it. Why don’t I want you pickin’ fights with the guys at the docks? Maybe it’s ‘cause I don’t want you gettin’ your _ass kicked_ and your head bashed in by guys with 10 inches and a hundred pounds on you!”

“I was holdin’ my own just fine, Bucky. I had ‘em on the ropes!”

Bucky ignores Steve’s interruption.

“Why do I want to be friendly with the guys I work with?! Maybe it’s so I got guys who’ll give me shifts when we need the goddamn cash so you don’t keel over when you get sick! Maybe it’s ‘cause I’m tryin’ to keep some ungrateful fuckin’ punk alive and off the streets!”

Steve and Bucky stare at each other, chests heaving and faces red. Steve does not know how to respond. Bucky lets out a long breath and his shoulders fall. He shuts his eyes, truly exhausted.

“You’re a real hard man to love, Steve, you know that? So fuckin’ self-righteous I can’t hardly stand it most days.”

“You’ve got sisters, Bucky. Are you tellin’ me you wouldn’t step in if some bastard was all over Becca or Mary? You think a bit of integrity is just a little too much for me to ask from you?”

Bucky laughs, almost hysterically, “Integrity ain’t what you’re askin’ of me, sugar. You’re asking for a martyr. ‘Cause that’s what you are and that’s what you want me to be. A martyr for any and every righteous fucking cause I come across. Like it’s my goddamn job to fix every fuckin’ thing wrong with the world.”

“Well someone has got to do it, Buck! If nobody tries to fix anything, then nothing ever gets fixed.”

“You ever get tired of being so goddamn noble, thinkin’ you’re some big six? ‘Cause I’m fuckin’ tired of it. I am so fuckin’ tired. Too tired for this shit. I’m going to bed.”

“Bucky!”

“What do you want, Stevie?”

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I wasn’t tryin’ to start nothin’ with you.”

“Just ‘cause you weren’t tryin’ to, Stevie, don’t make it any less caustic. You’re a real stand-up guy because that’s all you know how to be. But not all of us got so lucky. Some of us have got to do the dirty work so you sanctimonious bastards got something to look down your nose at.”

Steve stares at the floor and twists his hands.

Bucky closes his eyes, “Christ. Sorry. Don’t listen to me, Steve. I’m all worn out, got no patience for anything. Just… talk to me in the morning, all right?”

“Yeah, all right. Night, Buck.”

Bucky walks out of the living room and Steve’s words are left hanging in the air. He listens to Bucky shuffling around in the bedroom, hears him shuck off his clothes and crawl into bed. Steve looks around their shabby apartment and sighs. He wipes his hand across his face and accidentally smears a streak of blood down his cheek. Steve grabs a rag and a bowl from the kitchen, and fills the bowl up with water to soak the rag in. He washes out the cuts and scrapes on his hands and cheeks.

After he cleans himself up, Steve sits at the window sill and watches the street below. He lets the cool air drift in. He lights himself a cigarette and smokes it while he watches the drunks and grifters stumble down the block.

It is a few hours later when Bucky wakes up for a moment. The bed shifts when Steve crawls in next to him. Bucky twists around and raises his arm so Steve can curl up against him and rest his head on Bucky’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Steve murmurs into Bucky’s collar.

Bucky presses a kiss to the top of his head, “I know you do. I love you too, sweetheart.”

“I shouldn’t’ve started nothin’ with you this evening. I knew you were tired, knew you’d been workin’ at the docks all day. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, Stevie. You ain’t wrong. I know you ain’t. Those guys shouldn’t be messin’ with them easy girls and somebody needs to put a stop to it. But, Stevie, one of us has got to live in the real world, okay? We got bills to pay.”

“Yeah, I know we do.”

“How ‘bout I keep us alive while you work on saving the world. You be the big hero and let me be the sidekick, all right? The little punk from Brooklyn who’s never run from a fight and the jerk that keeps him kicking and stitches him back together. Sound like a plan to you?”

“Yeah. Sounds just fine to me.”

"Good. And speaking of stitchin’ people back up, you all right, sugar? You didn't get cut up too bad? If you did, I can go have a word with Eddie. Let him know what ain’t all right, so he thinks twice before tryin’ to rough you up again."

"No, I'm all right. It’s just a couple of scrapes and bruises. I cleaned 'em up easy."

"That's good. Now go to sleep, you loon. It's half past 2 in the morning."

Steve smiles into the crook of Bucky's neck, "Okay. Good night, Bucky."

"Night, Stevie."

“See you in the morning.”

“Yep.”

“Bright and early.”

“Uh huh.”

“’Cause, you know, we’ve got morning mass tomorrow.”

“Mhmm.”

“And Father Gallagher’s gonna be-,”

“Stevie. Shush. Go to sleep. _Please._ ”

Steve laughs, “All right, all right. Good night, then.”

“Mhmm.”

The End

 

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [Tumblr](http://anthonyedwardstark.tumblr.com/).


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